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Volantis
Volantis is one of the principal cities of western Essos, and considered by many to be the greatest of the nine Free Cities. It is ruled by a Triarchy of elected officials which make decisions on behalf the city in its best interests, as well as those of the settlements within Volantene territory, namely Sar Mell, Volon Therys, Valysar and Selhorys. Layout The city of Volantis is a city of two parts, and thus not dissimilar from the Free City of Norvos in this sense. The eastern part of the city is home those of the Blood of Old Valyria, and its palaces, courtyards, towers, temples, cloisters, bridges, and cellars are surrounded by the Black Walls, formed of fused dragonstone. The western districts are newer, and provides life to all other residents and visitors to the city. The two parts are joined by the Long Bridge. The Eastern City - Old Volantis * The Black Walls - Built by the Valyrians to protect their new western outpost, the Black Walls are an oval of fused dragonstone, so wide that during the annual celebrations of the creation of the city, six chariots, each pulled by four horses, can ride abreast. They are nearly two hundred feet high, and only those of the Old Blood, or invited directly by them, may enter. Within is the part of the city called Old Volantis by its residents. * The Palace of the Triarchs - A colossal monolith of marble and fused dragonstone, the Palace of the Triarchs is amongst the most impressive construction in a city of marvels. Guarded by the fearsome Tiger Cloaks, a slave army marked with green stripes across their cheeks, and helms shaped to bare the visage of their namesake, the Palace opens its doors to only a select few, for matters to be brought up to the Triarchs are often done at the palaces of the separate parties, depending on the nature of the request. Carved into both the exterior and interior of the tower are deeds of the past elected of the city, the tales of war and conquest, peace and trade shaped into the marble and streaks of gold that have been worked into the stone. * The Tiger Den - Within the Black Walls, not far from the Palace of the Triarchs, the Tiger Den is the headquarters of the Tiger party of Volantis, and has been since the city first began elections. Whilst the construction of the Den has changed many times over the years, with many Triarchs seeking to improve upon the works of their predecessors, one thing has persisted throughout, the statues. Each Tiger is immortalised in stone upon election, and an additional stripe added to their neck with each subsequent re-election. Some, like Horonno and Belar have many marks on their neck, whereas many remain smooth, untouched by the chisel. * The Elephant Hall - Carved from pale-grey stone, the building of the Elephant Party is marked and shaped in such a way that the bricks themselves are not dissimilar from the skin of the beast from which they take their name. At the entrance is a colossal statue of one such creatures, hewn from a single block near the height of ten men. The building and its contents displays brazen eccentricity, with wealth brought with decades and centuries of trade creating rooms of lavish decoration, from exotic animal furs and woods, statues shaped from precious metals depicting the history of those elected and feasting rooms capable of containing many of the great Halls of Westerosi castles with room to spare. Although few are permitted entry, those that have glimpsed all that the Elephant Hall contains report that even the bolts and nails of the doors and walls are shaped from gold, rather than iron or steel. * The Temples of Old Valyria - While the Freehold of Old Valyria was long ago claimed by the Doom, the gods of the Valyrian pantheon remain, in some part. Construction of black stone carved into fanciful shapes depicting men, beasts and other beings alike, the Temples of Old Valyria remain popular amongst some of the Old Blood, who place coins and other offerings at the shrines to Syrax and Vhagar, Balerion and Arrax, as well as innumerable more. * The Temple of the Lord of Light - Located on the eastern side of the city, but outside the Black Walls, the Temple of the Lord of Light is dedicated to the god R'hllor, the Lord of Light. The temple is protected by a private army of slave soldiers known as the Fiery Hand, and led by a High Priest. The temple is an enormity of pillars, steps, buttresses, bridges, domes, and towers flowing into one another as if they had all been chiselled from one colossal rock. A hundred hues of red, yellow, gold, and orange meet and meld in the temple walls, dissolving one into the other like clouds at sunset. The Long Bridge Supported by a series of massive piers, the construction started by the Triarch Vhalaso, called the Munificent, spans the Rhoyne, connecting Old Volantis to New. Named one of the Wonders Made by Man by Lomas Longstrider, the Long Bridge is a creation of fused stone, like that of the Black Walls. The Long Bridge's gateway at its eastern end is an arch of black stone carved with sphinxes, manticores, dragons and other strange beasts. The road is barely wide enough for two carts to pass side by side. Buildings rise on either side of the roadway. In the centre of the bridge the hands of thieves and the heads of executed criminals are displayed by Volantene spearmen decorated with green tiger stripes. Buildings rise on both sides of the bridge, including: shops, temples, taverns, inns, cyvasse parlours, and brothels. Most are three to four stories tall and each floor extending farther than the one beneath it. The topmost floors almost reach each other. Customers can buy almost anything in the shops on the Long Bridge. Merchants include weavers, lacemakers, glassblowers, candlemakers, and fishwives. Goldsmiths and spicers keep guards at their doors. The Western City - New Volantis * Fishermonger's Square - Found near the western end of the Long Bridge and near the Harbour of Volantis, the Fishermonger's Square is a large plaza where fishmongers come to sell their wares. As busy in the night as the day, there is cod, sailfish, sardines, barrels of mussels and clams for sale in the square, as well as eels, turtles and casks filled with crabs, lobsters and shellfish. Vendors sell stews and pies flavoured with spices and vegetables, and mummers perform for the attention and coin of passers-by. * Armourer's Street - Considered by many to be the Volantene equivalent of the Street of Steel, the Armourer's Street pre-dates its supposed Westerosi counterpart by nearly a millennia and a half. Located at the waterside so that both the waters of the Rhoyne and Summer Sea can be used to cool their forges as necessary, it is home to some of the finest blacksmiths in Essos not associated with the Mott Family or Qohor generally. * The Merchant's House - The Merchant's House is the finest and largest inn in Volantis. It is located on Fishmonger’s Square. It is a four story monstrosity that squats amongst the warehouses, brothels, and taverns of the waterside. The Merchant's House is the first choice for shippers, captains, and merchantmen. Traders from Oldtown and King's Landing mingle with their counterparts from Braavos and Pentos and Myr, with hairy Ibbenese, pale skinned voyagers from Qarth, coal-black Summer Islanders in feathered cloaks, even masked shadowbinders from Asshai by the Shadow. There are cheap rooms on the fourth floor, iron rings are set in the walls for chaining up one’s slaves. The tavern is famous for its locks, which are as secure as a gaol. * The Crimson Silks - Found on the opposite side of the river from the Temple of the Lord of Light, almost a mirror as a construction covered it fabrics of carmine, scarlet and ruby, the Crimson Silks is the most popular brothel in Volantis, and is frequented by residents of the city, both freeholders and the Old Blood, although the latter often transport their intended pillowslaves to their manses inside the Black Walls than make the journey themselves, as well as the visitors of the city. Behind the main building, nearly two dozen small pillowhouses exist, each dedicated to the training and teaching of those that will one day be amongst the finest in the Free Cities, although not as famed of those from Yunkai, to the east. Each floor of the Crimson Silks serves a different nature of customer, and as one ascends the building's eight floors, the price increases significantly. * Mahouts' Courtyard - The actual elephants of Volantis serve two distinct purposes, and must be trained accordingly. Most will serve only as a means of transportation for those that see walking as a means of travelling for those beneath their standing, and will have their grey hides covered in vibrant paints of green, blue and yellow. At times of election, it is not uncommon for the elephants to be decorated with the colours of the Families of the Old Blood seeking election. Those beasts that show particular aptitude and intelligence are selected for service in the forces of the Free City, and have proved to be a formidable foe to any army relying upon horses and other cavalry. Atop each elephant a trio of archers can loose over three dozen arrows between them every minute, making the Volantene Elephant cavalry a challenging military unit to any enemy. * The Wyvern's Tower - One of the few constructions of dragonstone on the western side of the city, the Wyvern's Tower first served as a primary look-out post for attackers sailing or marching from the Disputed Lands to the west, or the Summer Sea to the south. As new Volantis has proliferated across the western bank of the Rhoyne however, it now serves a new purpose. The Wyvern's Tower is now the home and headquarters of the Tiger Cloaks, the elite city guard of Volantis. In the courtyards at its base, men are trained in the use of short spear, sword, shield, bow and axe, and within the tower itself are the quarters dedicated to eating, cleaning and sleeping. From the top of the tower, guardsmen watch over the city, ready to respond to any disturbance to the peace. The Harbour The harbour of Volantis is one of the greatest boasts of the Volantene people, who claim that is it deep enough for all the hundred isles of Braavos to be placed within it, and none would peek from the surface. As well as being very deep, the harbour is very wide, spanning both sides of the estuary of the Rhoyne, a river so wide that ships sailing down the centre may struggle to see the shores to either side. Although exceptions do exist, generally the wharves and ports on the eastern bank are of a finer quality to their western counterparts, and maintained more thoroughly by the slaves assigned to such a task. The quays closest to the Black Walls themselves are of particularly fine craftsmanship, with roads of marble and sandstone leading visitors and those returning home to entrances in the Black Walls directly from the waterfront. Ships from across the Known World call port at Volantis, the city serving as a stopping point between the Free Cities and Westeros to the west, and the nations of the Far East such as Qarth, Yi-Ti and Asshai-by-the-Shadow. Timeline of Events * 115BA - Start of the Century of Blood. Considering themselves a worthy successor of Valyria as the mightiest of the Free Cities, Volantis claims the Valyrian peninsula for itself, although sends no men to reinforce its assertion. * 114BA - The Tiger party of Volantis raises a great host, but does not march east to Valyria, rather west, towards the lands owned by Tyrosh, Myr and Lys. * 113BA - The fall of Myr and Lys to Volantene control. Triarchs of the Old Blood are installed in place of the usual Conclave of Magisters. * 109BA - Wondering after the visit of the Golden King, whose fleet visited the city of Volantis a year prior, the Tiger Triarch Marqelo Tagaros sends off a scouting fleet into the Smoking Sea to find the King of the Rock. They return empty handed. * 105BA - Volantis, still considering themselves the rightful successor of Valyria, wages war for control of the Rhoyne and the cities upon it. Qohor and Norvos only become truly involved once the Volantenes march and sail north of Dagger Lake, triggering two years of fighting between the cities remembered as the War of the Burning Rhoyne. * 104BA - At the Battle for Ar Noy, a Qohorik army bolstered by sellswords from numerous companies is defeated by the Volantene general Tychor Galtigar. They are however flanked by a Norvoshi army, and forced into retreat to the wooden fortress constructed by the shore of Dagger Lake. * 103BA - Having stalled the Volantene advance, a joint Norvoshi-Qohorik navy smashes a Volantene fleet at Dagger Lake, but cannot break the fortress built upon the southern shore. The High Priest of the Conclave of Bearded Priests in Great Norvos has a vision of a man that will guide them to victory against the Volantenes, and thus the search for the individual begins. * 102BA - The prophesied individual of the High Priest of Norvos' vision turns out to be the Rhoynish pirate Garin Thrice-Drowned, who shows the Qohorik and Norvoshi a secret entrance into the fortress through a cave system unknown to the Volantenes. In payment for his role in pushing the Volantene forces south of the Soorows, he is granted land to the north of Dagger Lake, and a manse in both Norvos and Qohor. * 95BA - The Pirate Lord Garin Thrice-Drowned, hero of the conflict half a decade prior between Norvos, Qohor and Volantis tries to claim control over the ruined city of Ar Noy, considering it his birth-right. He and his followers are slaughtered without mercy by the Qohorik when they begin to raid trade vessels from the Free City travelling along the Qhoyne. * 58BA - An invasion fleet is sent to try and reinstall Volantene control in Lys. On the way, heavy winds from a sudden storm bound from the Stepstones scuttles two-thirds of the ships, and the invasion is put on hold. * 30BA - The Tiger Triarchs once again to claim dominion over the other Free Cities, still seeing themselves as the worthy successor to Valyria itself. Pushing along the Orange Shore and into the Disputed Lands, Myr falls once more to the might of Volantis. * 29BA - As a second force starts the Siege of Lys, a drawn-out blockade that lasted four years, plans are made to simultaneously invade Tyrosh, ensuring Volantene dominion over the Disputed Lands in perpetuity. * 23BA - Tiger Triarch Jaelon Vaeltigar starts preparing an invasion force intended for Tyrosh, but before he can initiate the invasion, news of Lyseni rebellion reaches Volantis. The force is instead sent to Lys to subjugate its people once more. * 22BA - The Volantene fleet stationed at Dagger Lake on the Rhoyne is shattered by a joint Qohorik-Norvoshi attack. The northern Rhoyne is liberated of Volantene control. * 19BA - A Volantene army seeking to retake Myr is defeated in the Disputed Lands by Argilac Durrandon, the Storm King from Westeros. * 14BA - In a final push for domination of the Free Cities, Volantis sends forth its armies and fleets, striking out at Myr, Lys, Norvos and Qohor with thousands of men and hundreds of ships. * 13BA - A young Aegon Targaryen, riding upon Balerion flies to Lys, burning a Volantene fleet before they could provide reinforcements to the invasion force. The defeat at Lys causes a full retreat order to be put into place, and the Tigers' campaign to claim dominion over the Free Cities comes to an end once more. * 1AA - Aegon Targaryen arrives in Volantis, his fleet is stranded. House Targaryen is initially welcomed by the Old Blood of Volantis (even marrying a lesser noble's daughter), placed in reverement owing to his commandship over the fearsome dragon Balerion, who whilst wounded remains a fearsome beast. Aegon is betrayed however, and shortly after offering to tend to the Black Dread's wounds, the beast is butchered, the Targaryen men slaughtered and their ships commandeered. Aegon is allowed to live, only that he may suffer as the beggar he had now become. * 2AA - House Targaryen are considered little more than paupers, dragonless and expelled from the city. They wander from Free City to Free City for near three decades, never long staying in the same place, and never returning to Volantis. Aegon Targaryen, dejected by the loss of Balerion, lives a life as a mercenary during this time. * 5AA - The Blackscales are formed, made up of the members of House Targaryen and the few loyal men still remaining in their service. They number no more than thirty, but start taking on minor jobs for the merchants and nobles of Essos alike. * 14AA - Aegon Targaryen is slain in battle, leaving his nine year-old twins the last bastions of House Targaryen. * 57AA - A Triarch fills the pockets of a catspaw to put an end to the life of the well known Aelyx Targaryen, and the assassin succeeds, though he doesn't return. The commoners whisper that Aelyx never truly died, calling him The Spectre. * Upon the appointment of the Tiger Triarch Aerys Maegyr, the Volantenes once again press their claim over the Free Cities of Essos, marching west with a mighty army. They set up watchtowers and fortresses along the Orange Shore as they push for the Disputed Lands. * 94AA - The attack on the town of Achissa, on the southern coast of the Disputed Lands gains the attention of the Three Daughters. The city of Lys, who hold dominion over the walled town, march an army to meet the forces of Triarch Aerys, but are beaten back. The town is sacked, and Volantis continues to strengthen its claim over Essos by claiming much of the Disputed Lands. * 95AA - When the city of Pelosse is attacked in the continuing Volantene conquest, the cities of Tyrosh and Myr agree to offer their assistance in removing the Volantene presence in the Disputed Lands. The city is sacked before a response can be achieved, but the forming of the Triarchy's joint army marked the change of politics in the region. * 96AA - After a series of successful campaigns since the sacking of Pelosse by the Volantenes, the united force of the Triarchy finally expels the armies of the Tiger Triarch Aerys Maegyr from the Disputed Lands following the Battle of the Borderlands. Casualties to both sides numbered in the tens of thousands, but the conflict is remembered more for marking the official start of the 'eternal alliance' of the Triarchy of the Three Daughters, united through desire for prosperity, instead of need through an external threat. * 258AA - A group of ambitious individuals first meet at the Merchant's House in Volantis. Amongst their numbers are the Lyseni pirate Salazor Saan, the exiled Summer Islander Jhalobhar Xoro, Captain of the Bronze Circle Makmol zo Ozoz, the Stormlander Andros Tarth, known as the Blood Sapphire, the Tyroshi nobleman Illan Irnys, Maegon of House Targaryen, Mhysa - a mercenary supposed from the ruined city of Bhorash, the thief known as the Nightowl of Norvos and Mors Bone, the Commander of the Three Sails sellsail fleet. In time, they would be remembered as the Band of Nine, and their actions infamous. * 259AA - The Band of Nine launch a surprise attack on the settlement of Achissa, shattering the few defences that the town possessed. Such actions garner the attention of Lys, who claim dominion over the city, but the fleet needed to ferry the Lyseni army to the Disputed Lands is currently indisposed in the Stepstones, where the Free City is feuding with the Pirate-Lord of Larazor's Rock. When they eventually arrive, they find the town to be fortified, and ruled by the Tyroshi merchant Illan Irnys. Commanded by Telyr Ostyris, the Lyseni army moves to liberate the city, but such actions leave the city of Lys unguarded. The fleets of Salazor Saan and Mors Bone sail into the harbour of the Free City, delivering the Bronze Circle and Mhysa's Men into the Lysene streets. The city falls, and the Band of Nine installs themselves as the new Conclave of Magisters in the city. * 260AA - The Band of Nine continue their expansion in the Disputed Lands, claiming the land around the Navari river and the Violet Lake, as well as pushing further east towards the Orange Shore. During the attempted theft of the ancestral axe of House Aerteris of Volantis by the Nightowl of Norvos the sister of the current Tiger Triarch Haelor Staegone is killed, and the wrath of the First Daughter is unleashed. Staegone sails west to Lys in hunt of the rest of the Band of Nine, ravaging the city. Those of the Band of Nine that survive flee for the Stepstones. * 261AA - The rebuilding of the city occurs following the expulsion of the Band of Nine by the Tiger Triarch Haelor Staegone. There were those in the city that feared the Volantenes may seek to conquer the city, but true his word, Haelor invaded only to seek revenge against the Band of Nine in response to his sister's death at the hand of the Nightowl of Norvos, and returned to Volantis after their defeat. * 273AA - The Marel Family of Essaria attempts to stage a coup, seizing control from King Alor Ajjara near-bloodlessly. Messengers are sent east to Qohor, asking for assistance from the Motts and Eranels in consolidating power in the city in name of Qohor, reflecting the Marels' origin in the Free City. The Qohorik army arrives at Essaria within a moon, nearly fifteen thousand strong, but is stopped in their path by a similarly-sized force lead by the King of Mardosh, Eno Omoi. Following numerous clashes, skirmishes and full blown battles, the Qohorik army is slowly forced back west, the campaign ending in the Forest of Qohor nearly ten moons later. In the meanwhile however, the Tiger Triarch Laerys Maegyr had rallied an army of his own, seeing his opportunity in the disorder caused by the existing conflict. In a bold action, he and his men sail up the Selhoru, then march past the source of the River Shakhe, before quickly and viciously taking the city of Essaria for themselves. * 275AA - Having sent messengers east along the Orange Shore to Volantis, the Myrish General Tyros Drahar strikes an accord with the city of Volantis, who agree to support the Myrish against the growing influence of Braavos. Ferried by a number of sellsail companies the Volantenes travel for the Sea of Myrth, and Myr itself, where they deliver a scathing strike against those men left to continue the siege. The Sealord returns to Myr, finding it defended by a revitalised force, and seemingly commanded by Tyros Drahar, back from the dead after his supposed death at the Battle of Violet Lake. Ordering a retreat, the joint Braavosi-Pentoshi force returns north to Anlos, and Myr celebrates its deliverance from the Sealord's grasp. With their attention tied to the west, Volantis fail to stop the liberation of the city of Essaria by the Sarnori, and once against a Tagaez Fen rules in the Free City as King. * 298AA - As the slave trade has continued to diminish to the west due to the influence of the Sealord and the Alliance of the Narrow Sea, Volantis has solidified its position as the Greatest of the Free Cities further still with increased and near exclusive trade with the cities of Slaver's Bay. The Old Blood and baseborn merchants alike grow rich and stout through commerce, ordering new constructions along the Orange Shore and the banks of the Rhoyne alike. Whilst the city is ruled over by the three Triarchs, the Elephants and Tigers have found themselves contested now by a third party - the Dragons. Once little more than beggars in the city, the Targaryens now rule, at least in part, within Volantis. Will they drive the city's focus upon trade further still, or will they echo the aims of the Tigers, and seek conquest and expansion? Category:Volantis Category:Free Cities Category:Essos Category:City